Carnegie Mellon University
Defect Engineering MURI

A Thermodynamic Framework for Defect Engineering

A Thermodynamic Framework for Defect Engineering  ›  Defect Engineering MURI  ›  People  ›  Students & Postdocs

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Students & Postdoctoral Researchers

Paria Behnoud

Paria Behnoud

Ph.D. Students, CMU Civil and Environmental Engineering

Address
5000 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Paria Behnoud is a PhD student in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University and a member of the Multiscale Mechanics Research Group, advised by Professor Kaushik Dayal. Her research develops physics-informed machine learning and optimal transport methods to model and infer nonequilibrium dynamics from data, with a focus on polymers under time-dependent loading. She is particularly interested in connecting stochastic thermodynamics and variational inference frameworks (e.g., Maximum Caliber) with data-driven approaches to better understand and predict driven soft matter. She earned her M.S. in Structural Engineering from Sharif University of Technology in Iran.

Crestienne DeChaine

Crestienne DeChaine

Ph.D. Student, CMU Materials Science and Engineering

Address
5000 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Crestienne DeChaine is a PhD candidate in the Materials Science and Engineering Department at Carnegie Mellon University. Her research focuses on developing novel high resolution electron backscatter diffraction (HR-EBSD) techniques that enable the determination of the absolute elastic strain tensor via the use of dynamically simulated electron backscatter diffraction patterns. The new techniques enable more sensitive detection of residual strain and extend the applicability of HR-EBSD to a wide range of complex microstructures previously not accessible. Her research aims to gain new insights into defect mechanics.

McLean Echlin

McLean Echlin

Postdoctoral Researcher, UCSB

McLean Echlin is a research specialist in the Materials Department at the University of California Santa Barbara. His research interests include 3D Materials Science, advancing mesoscale microscopy techniques, ultrafast laser-material interactions, and the development of new detectors for diffraction studies. Echlin received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D from the University of Michigan in 2005, 2010, and 2011, respectively. He was formerly a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California Santa Barbara, where he developed initial and subsequent prototypes of the now commercially available TriBeam microscope. He has co-chaired the international Congress on 3D Materials Science in 2018, was awarded the Microscopy & Microanalysis MSA presidential postdoctoral award in 2013 and the Hetényi Award by the Society for Experimental Mechanics in 2018, and has authored nearly 100 peer reviewed publications.

Sam Ehrman

Sam Ehrman

Ph.D. Student, UCSB Materials

Sam Ehrman is a graduate student researcher in the Materials Department at the University of California Santa Barbara. His research focuses on 3-D tomography and ultrafast laser-material interactions utilizing the TriBeam microscope. He graduated in 2025 from Washington University in St. Louis with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. In his past research, he used high throughput techniques to manufacture and characterize refractory high entropy alloys. Past work experience includes carbon fiber composite analysis at Boom Supersonic and development of an automated bed alarm at Atapir.

Harpreet Kaur

Harpreet Kaur

Ph.D. Student, CMU Civil and Environmental Engineering

Address
5000 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Harpreet Kaur is a PhD student in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department and a member of the Multiscale Mechanics Research Group, working under the supervision of Professor Kaushik Dayal. Her research focuses on dislocation nonlocality and multiscale mechanics, with an emphasis on understanding how defect interactions and internal strain fields influence macroscopic material behavior. Her work aims to develop physically consistent descriptions of defect-driven deformation.

Lain Li

Lain Li

Ph.D. Student, Caltech

Lain Li is a PhD student in the Seismological Laboratory at Caltech. Working in Professor Jackson’s group, he is studying the physical properties of FeO wüstite and the roles of defects under extreme temperature and pressure conditions analogous to planetary interiors, where iron-oxide may play an important role in modulating transport properties. More broadly, his research interests focus on the phase evolution of materials under extreme environments, through both laboratory experiments and theoretical simulations.

Huan Liu

Huan Liu

Postdoctoral Researcher, Caltech

Huan Liu is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Mechanical and Civil Engineering at Caltech, working with Professor Kaushik Bhattacharya. She is interested in patterns in materials science and engineering, including their understanding and engineering. Huan received her PhD degree from the University of Minnesota in 2024.

Justin Mayer

Postdoctoral Researcher, UCSB

Justin Mayer bio.

Lucas Seeley

Lucas Seeley

Ph.D. Student, CMU Materials Science and Engineering

Address
5000 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Lucas Seeley is a graduate student in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. His current research utilizes electron backscatter diffraction to investigate grain boundary behavior and microstructure evolution. He earned a B.S. in Physics from the University of Oklahoma in 2025. His past research experiences include the mechanical exfoliation and characterization of ultra-thin single-crystal organic semiconductors at the University of Oklahoma, and the synthesis and optical characterization of lead halide perovskites and organic charge transfer complexes for solar cell applications at Yamagata University.

Keyang Yang

Keyang Yang

Ph.D. Student, Caltech Mechanical and Civil Engineering

Keyang Yang is a PhD Candidate in Mechanical Engineering at Caltech. His current research focuses on the inference of interatomic potentials from experimental available atomic configurations, especially high-resolution TEM data. More broadly, he has experience in studying a range of interatomic potential models and in using molecular simulations to determine the thermodynamic properties of defects.

Cijin Zhou

Cijin Zhou

Ph.D. Student, Caltech Geophysics

Cijin Zhou is a PhD candidate in Geophysics in the Seismological Laboratory at Caltech. Her research focuses on the composition, evolution, thermal structure, and dynamics of terrestrial-type planetary cores. By combining high-pressure diamond anvil cells with synchrotron-based techniques, including X-ray diffraction and nuclear resonant scattering, she investigates the physical properties of iron and iron-nickel alloys containing sulfur and silicon, under extreme conditions relevant to planetary interiors. She is also actively involved in the development of integrating high-pressure experimental instrumentation, particularly laser-heating, with nuclear resonant scattering. Through these efforts, she aims to provide critical experimental constraints that advance our understanding of planetary cores.